Introducing Flightdeck Air Combat Center!

[majortomh]

I am Tom Hubbard, owner and operator of Flightdeck Air Combat Center in Anaheim CA. We have 7 F-16 cockpit sims (that used to be at Fightertown USA back in the day). Other than some various sims on the USS Midway in San Diego, we are the only retail flight simulation center in the Western US (and one of only a handful in the world to the best of my knowledge). We are looking to upgrade the interior of our cockpits and hope to get some critical info and ideas from all of you experts!
Feel free to check out our website at www.WannaDogfight.com and give us any feedback. If any of you are ever in Socal, please call me personally and I will give you a friend of Flightdeck discount.

Looking forward to getting to know you all,

Tom

[Trevor Hale]

Hi Tom,

Welcome to Mycockpit. Hopefully some of us here can help you with your projects. Many of the building techniques used on the airliners can be used for your fighters.

Best of luck to you.

Trev

[ak49er]

Very nice, great idea, wish I was going to Cali. soon. Could you provide us with more technical information about your sims so we can help. What is your database, MSFS, X-plane, Proprietary? What do the interior of the cockpits look like? What kind of improvements are you looking for. This is the BEST technical site, due to user input and knowledge, welcome.

[warvet]

Hey Tom,
Don't know if you remember me but me and my son came in and flew at your facility last time I was down visiting him, he lives on Garden Grove Blvd and West St. In Garden grove. So being so close we went a few times. I was the gent from Canada. We did some night traps and some dogfights it was a really great time , I loved that you can dogfight against each other and your guy in the booth handles all ATC. Your cockpits were fantastic. The only thing I wished was instead of the hat switch to look around you had a screen all around you :) But if I remember you had quite a few sims there so it would definitely be costly. But overall the whole Flight Suit thing, briefing and setup was super professinal. Highly recommended to anyone in Anaheim Ca visiting Disneland its only about 10 min away from there. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CNWBOPfEyY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQokFgMynIM&feature=related

Tim

[majortomh]

Very nice, great idea, wish I was going to Cali. soon. Could you provide us with more technical information about your sims so we can help. What is your database, MSFS, X-plane, Proprietary? What do the interior of the cockpits look like? What kind of improvements are you looking for. This is the BEST technical site, due to user input and knowledge, welcome.

My ignorance will begin to show through...NOW. We are currently using Falcon 4 Allied Forces with the latest patches. Our HDD is static right now, but we plan to let the programmer for Falcon Gauges customize them, so that they are functional. We desperately need to replace our panels...they take quite a beating from the general public (as you can well imagine). Working on getting the rudder pedals functional...it's all a matter of the dough-rey-mi!
We are trying to get our squadron program pumped up, so we need to increase the fidelity! The general public (whom I love desperately) typically look like deer caught in the headlights when they walk on to the flight deck and see all of the sims lined up...it is a sweet sight!
So I am trying to have the best of both worlds...an environment inside and outside the cockpit that will wow the general public and still give the hard core simmer a jolt! Plus, making a couple of bucks would be fine by me as well. The last few people who have tried to do this have ended up with their dirty side up in recent years.

I'll try to post a picture of the interior (if you promise not to laugh loud enough for me to hear it in Socal).

[BHawthorne]

I would definitely check out www.viperpits.org. They're the undisputed F-16 simpit home. I'm sure they'd be full of ideas on how to upgrade both hardware and software. Once Fighter Ops is released, it might be good to migrate to that platform when they have the F-16 aircraft add-on finalized. www.fighterops.com. Both places have a lot of good software and hardware developers. Overall Mycockpit will also be a great resource. It's more civil avaiation based, but the concepts carry over fine to warbirds.

[majortomh]

I would definitely check out www.viperpits.org. They're the undisputed F-16 simpit home. I'm sure they'd be full of ideas on how to upgrade both hardware and software. Once Fighter Ops is released, it might be good to migrate to that platform when they have the F-16 aircraft add-on finalized. www.fighterops.com. Both places have a lot of good software and hardware developers. Overall Mycockpit will also be a great resource. It's more civil avaiation based, but the concepts carry over fine to warbirds.

We've been waiting for Fighter Ops for what seems like forever...the graphics look spectacular. Our challenge is that we'll need certain modifications for running 7 sims together. We started of with a proprietary software (Eaglesim) which is used on the USS Midway...very functional, but very dated and unstable. Tried to get in touch with the people at (oh geez...a senior moment...must....remember name....), the guys in Russia.

[BHawthorne]

We've been waiting for Fighter Ops for what seems like forever...the graphics look spectacular. Our challenge is that we'll need certain modifications for running 7 sims together. We started of with a proprietary software (Eaglesim) which is used on the USS Midway...very functional, but very dated and unstable. Tried to get in touch with the people at (oh geez...a senior moment...must....remember name....), the guys in Russia.

I have a lot of faith in Fighter Ops. Keep in mind that what they're doing is quite huge considering it's not many of the dev's day jobs. I've been following it since 2006 as one of the Area 51 members. I also am a focus tester for Mythic Entertainment, so I'm used to gauging dev progress. They're still in pretty good shape as far as developer timeline to scratch build a whole client/server infrastructure. IMHO, we'll see good things from XSi come 2011. They're already doing a lot of things behind the scenes gearing up that are Area 51 exclusive content I can't talk about. It is sort of tough leveraging Falcon 4 after all of these years. I'm really quite anxious to see Fighter Ops finally step up to the plate. I would sell the idea to XSi to add in bits to assist with the business sides of simpits. I don't see why they shouldn't be open to something along that lines. It would give the FO franchise another avenue to get the word out about it. FO will have a lot of online and networking infastructure built into it with the campaign server and squadron building online. I think it would adapt quite well to a 7 sim LAN setup.

If you wanted to swap out the internals of your cockpit shells with high fidelity parts, there are a bunch of sources on viperpits to get it done. I'm very impressed with what they've managed to accumulate in knowledge over there just about the F-16. Out of curiosity, who did the shell designs originally in your avatar? I like the canopy addition to the simpits. Heat forming plexi to make a canopy is easier said than done.

If you're interested in the future about classic jets, I'll probably have F-84 simpit kits ready for production in a year or so.

[majortomh]

Our shells were originally made for Fightertown USA in Lake Forrest, CA. They went belly up in '99 after an ownership change that took them south. My business partner found 8 of the pits for sale on Ebay and called the owner of the pits (who originally bought them at the business auction) when they didn't sell, made him an offer, and then stored the pits for a couple of years until we hooked up to start Flightdeck (www.flightdeck1.com). Finding a source to get more manufactured hasn't been easy.

We would eventually like to move to a bigger facility, have another 5 or 6 pits, and be able to host larger groups (and squadrons), but have to wait until our existing business model becomes more stable. Hard as it is to believe, there are some peopl in this world who don't value flight sim as much as they ought... some crazy notion of paying their bills, putting food on the table, and similar nonsense!

A new (and very short video clip) of Flightdeck in action can be seen at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_M_8NiRqsw

[Infinity]

I've always wondered how you guys ran all that software together. Does each sim have it's own computer? How does the tower tie into the sims and so forth if you don't mind me asking?

[majortomh]

I've always wondered how you guys ran all that software together. Does each sim have it's own computer? How does the tower tie into the sims and so forth if you don't mind me asking?

I don't mind you asking at all! Each sim does have it's own PC...all seven sims are networked together into the server in OPCON. Our crew runs everything out of there. If you're looking for information more technical than that, I'm the wrong guy to ask (I'm only the owner...and you know the old adage "Those who can, do; those who can't, own!"), but I can get the answers for you! Thanks for your interest, and I'd invite you to stop by Flightdeck if you're ever in Socal, we'll give you (and anybody else on this site) a "Friends of Flightdeck" discount!

[Bob Reed]

I don't mind you asking at all! Each sim does have it's own PC...all seven sims are networked together into the server in OPCON. Our crew runs everything out of there. If you're looking for information more technical than that, I'm the wrong guy to ask (I'm only the owner...and you know the old adage "Those who can, do; those who can't, own!"), but I can get the answers for you! Thanks for your interest, and I'd invite you to stop by Flightdeck if you're ever in Socal, we'll give you (and anybody else on this site) a "Friends of Flightdeck" discount!

That is a nice offer. And thank you!

[Matt_Thomas]

I don't mind you asking at all! Each sim does have it's own PC...all seven sims are networked together into the server in OPCON. Our crew runs everything out of there. If you're looking for information more technical than that, I'm the wrong guy to ask (I'm only the owner...and you know the old adage "Those who can, do; those who can't, own!"), but I can get the answers for you! Thanks for your interest, and I'd invite you to stop by Flightdeck if you're ever in Socal, we'll give you (and anybody else on this site) a "Friends of Flightdeck" discount!

Wow....THANKS! I have a buddy that works near there at Northrop that I've been meaning to visit!

[majortomh]

Tim,

I remember your visit...just can't place the face! Sorry for the late response... I've got myself spread too thin! Thanks, also, for the kind words! Since your last visit, we have now got the heads down displays in the cockpits functioning Thanks to Eric de Best in the Netherlands who customized Falcon Gauges for us...we are currently working on getting the rudder pedals active in all of the pits as well as improving the fidelity of the panels. Time and money is all it takes!

Please be sure to call me the next time you visit your son...I would like tro be here when you come in!

[warvet]

Will do Tom, I most definitely will come see you on my next visit down. your very welcome regarding my comments about your business and your wonderful and professional staff but in fact I am just telling the truth. You have a terrific setup. The only thing I would ask to change if possible is a new briefing video that one was definitely on its last legs lol but im sure thats in your upgrade plans, otherwise im excited to see the sim upgrades and shake your hand personally.

Regards Tim

[majortomh]

We are constantly working on improving all aspects of the experience here...in fact my crew tweaks the briefing constantly...do you have any specific suggestions? I would certainly welcome them and pass them along!

[dc8flightdeck]

I am Tom Hubbard, owner and operator of Flightdeck Air Combat Center in Anaheim CA. We have 7 F-16 cockpit sims (that used to be at Fightertown USA back in the day). Other than some various sims on the USS Midway in San Diego, we are the only retail flight simulation center in the Western US (and one of only a handful in the world to the best of my knowledge). We are looking to upgrade the interior of our cockpits and hope to get some critical info and ideas from all of you experts!
Feel free to check out our website at www.WannaDogfight.com and give us any feedback. If any of you are ever in Socal, please call me personally and I will give you a friend of Flightdeck discount.

Looking forward to getting to know you all,

Tom

Tom,
Having visited your center last July I must say we had a blast! Your cockpits are in much better condition than the ones at Pensacola and at the Midway. I hope to visit you again the next time I visit California! It looked like your people had done some great work with Falcon.

Justin

[majortomh]

Thanks for the update...we actually just did a quick and dirty retrofit of panels using lexan (sp?) and plexiglass with backlighting in the sims. Would love it if and when FO brought the product out and would be pleased to be a test bed/retail showcase for the software.

Finding someone to make more shells has been the major fly in the ointment. I don't know who did the originals...they are out of business currently. Trying to find someone to replicate them without breaking the bank is a challenge. Got a quote from one company of about 6oK per for about another 6 to 8 of them. A boat builder was supposed to give me a quote, but never got back to me. Am going to try a n old friend who i a Hollywood producer to see if he has any ideas/sources for production. But honestly, we've mainly been focused on trying to make our present location profitable...not easy in today's economy (though we were pretty much able to keep our sales equal with last year). Obama hasn't come out with a flight sim bail out plan yet...though I'm sure it would only make things worse somehow, like the other bailouts of last year have IMHO! I would love to talk to anybody at FO (when the time is right) about a strategic partnership!

Here's to a productive and prosperous 2010 for us all!

[BlackWidow]

Cool stuff

I'm not too far from Anaheim. I am definitely going to have to check out your shop.

[dc8flightdeck]

Tom, let us know if you ever switch to FeeFalcon 5 and are interested in trying online combat against othe cockpit flyers. We now have three sims running Falcon5.31523153

[mathwasp]

Hi Tom,

I used to build my own F-16 a many years ago. There is a company I know that should be able to build scale bodies for you as they have nice F-16's on their site. I know a few people who have their sims and they have now a commercial section as well. Send me an PM for the link.

Heinz